Bog Iron Ryezing Son

I have mentioned multiple times that saisons are my favorite spring beer style (and one of my favorite styles overall), so it should come as no surprise that I have been drinking a bunch of them recently. I am also on a bit of a rye beer kick, the addition of rye malt adds spice and complexity that can complement a number of different beer styles. While many breweries focus on Rye IPAs (which can be great), I love the combination of rye and Belgian yeast. Many Belgian style yeast strains add notes of pepper, coriander and other spices to the finished beer that can mesh well with the flavor imparted by the rye malt. I am planning on home-brewing a saison in the coming weeks and rye will definitely be part of the recipe. Bog Iron Brewing seems to agree with my opinions on rye in Belgian style beers. One beer in their regular rotation is Ryezing Son, a saison brewed with Pacific Jade and Citra hops along with a hearty dose of rye malt. Since Bog Iron doesn’t bottle or can their beer (yet) the only way to find this beer is on draft or by driving to Norton (which isn’t a bad ride from Boston).

Bog Iron Ryezing Son pours a cloudy bright yellow with a mild white head. The scent is a complex mixture of spicy rye, estery yeast and a little hit of citrusy hops. The yeast leads the flavor with notes of coriander, banana and apple. The malts also come through led by the peppery spice of the rye. The hops round out the flavor with hints of lemon, orange and cut grass. The flavor here is complex, but everything works together in harmony. The beer is light bodied, easy to drink and not overly strong at 6% ABV. The finish is dry with some lingering spice from the rye and yeast. Overall this is a really good example of an Americanized saison with the rye malts and new world hops complementing the expressive Belgian style yeast. Hoppy Boston score: 4.5/5.